Mobilizing to Defend Democracy, Expand Opportunity, and Build Power

WHEREAS, the AFT, representing 1.8 million educators, school staff, healthcare professionals and public service workers, is united by our commitment to building a better future rooted in opportunity, dignity and respect for all; and

WHEREAS, our members make a difference in the lives of others every day—caring, fighting and showing up for students, patients and communities across this country—and in doing so, we help realize the promise of the American dream for working families; and

WHEREAS, President Trump and his allies, through their actions and agenda, prove they intend to dismantle democratic institutions (particularly those that help people, including public schools, hospitals, post offices and libraries), attack the rights and well-being of working people, and ignore the rule of law and any commitment to public good, while engaged in cruelty, chaos and corruption; and

WHEREAS, AFT members see the direct consequences of these actions and agenda that declare a war on knowledge: the defunding of public education, the attacks on higher education and scientific research, the elimination of collective bargaining and civil service protections, and the weaponization of executive powers to harm workers; and

WHEREAS, Trump and his allies are pursuing deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which constitute a transfer of our shared wealth from the vulnerable and those in need to the ultra-wealthy class. This is not only an attack on the social safety net, but a betrayal of all Americans, including the very communities that delivered Trump his narrow margin of victory; and

WHEREAS, the economic ladder has become harder to climb, with economic gains disproportionately benefiting the wealthy and fewer Americans able to outearn their parents. Trump has not only abandoned his promise to lower costs, he and his allies also have sold out working families with policies that raise costs of everyday goods and wreak chaos and hardship; and

WHEREAS, our members understand that we cannot rely on any one party or institution to safeguard democracy. We must fight for it ourselves—in the courts, in Congress, in the court of public opinion, and in commerce—and history teaches us that unions and educators have always been essential in resisting authoritarian rule; and

WHEREAS, we have seen that strategic mobilization, organizing and resistance work: Our efforts in the courts have slowed the attacks on our institutions, and legal victories show that democratic norms can still hold. The AFT’s legal victories to date include the courts:

• Prohibiting the Social Security Administration from disclosing anyone’s sensitive personal information to any Department of Government Efficiency affiliates;
• Requiring the student loan information to be made available again, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness;
• A nationwide injunction against the Department of Education’s efforts to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs that give all students an opportunity to succeed;
• A preliminary injunction declaring the Trump-McMahon efforts to dismantle the Department of Education illegal, reversing the reduction in force of department staff, and restoring federal student loans and special education functions to the department; and

WHEREAS, the labor movement’s unity during previous attacks, like the Janus decision, showed what is possible when we are organized and clear-eyed about the stakes. Today’s fight may lack that same alignment, but the will to win—and the necessity of doing so—remains; and

WHEREAS, we must now channel outrage, hope and unity into broad-based organizing and public action, especially in the lead-up to the 2026 elections, knowing that a functioning democracy is essential to securing higher wages, safe workplaces, high-quality healthcare, secure retirement, and a better life for all; and

WHEREAS, with a manufactured narrative based on lies and disinformation drowning out working people’s voices, it is more urgent than ever that we take to the streets and make our message visible, accessible and powerful—just as we did during our Protect Our Kids and Communities Day of Action, with members in thousands of events mobilizing in defense of public education and our democracy:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will recommit to organizing and mobilizing our members and communities around a bold agenda for opportunity, dignity and respect, grounded in the needs of working families and the preservation of democracy; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will escalate our fight on every front—in the courts and in the court of public opinion, in the Congress and at the ballot box, on the streets and in our communities—to defend our democracy, advance the rights of working people, fight for fully funded public services, strengthen and preserve public education, and challenge the agenda of the ultra-wealthy and politically corrupt; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will fight back against the coordinated attack on education and knowledge—rejecting censorship, curriculum bans, disinvestment, the weaponization of funding, and political interference in our classrooms and research institutions—recognizing that an informed public is essential to a functioning democracy and a free society; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will condemn the proposed deep cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and the deep uncertainty due to assaults on education, healthcare, and Social Security, which will have a catastrophic effect on vulnerable members of our communities—including our students and patients, older Americans, people with disabilities, and working families; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will prioritize this fight for a better future, including the fightback against democratic, educational and economic attacks. This requires us to prioritize the 2026 federal, state and local elections as a pivotal moment for our democracy; and we will invest in community, communication and getting out the vote, including narrative strategies, organizing and mobilizing, and grassroots engagement to shift hearts and minds, ensuring our message reaches the communities most impacted by this administration's disastrous policies; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT and our affiliates will engage in broadscale, disciplined nonviolent action throughout the United States to ensure that our message is heard loud and clear by the public, and by every institution of power, particularly the White House, so that working people’s demands for justice, equity and democracy cannot be ignored; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will lead with the clarity, courage and commitment that this moment demands—organizing not only to resist authoritarianism, but also to build a stronger, more just future for everyone in this country.

Adopted May 28, 2025